November 19th, 2011 by DrWes in Research
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Before reaching for tests like EKGs to screen teen athletes, we should first ask ourselves if we’ve taken a careful history:
The new study consisted of Madsen and his fellow researchers sending out surveys to every pediatrician and family practice doctor in Washington State. They received a good response–surveys were returned by 72 percent of pediatricians and 56 percent of family practitioners.
The results were disheartening:
- 28 percent of doctors surveyed failed to always ask if a teen experienced chest pain during exercise.
- 22 percent of doctors surveyed failed to Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
November 18th, 2011 by Paul Auerbach, M.D. in Research
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Ski season is upon us. Many experts (including myself) are of the opinion that helmets should be worn by all downhill skiers and snowboarders to help prevent head injuries. One of the “con” arguments proposed by some persons who object to wearing helmets is that they interfere with skiing in such a way as to perhaps make it more dangerous. In their opinion, this might occur by obscuring peripheral vision or diminishing the perception of sound. A very important article entitled “Do Ski Helmets Affect Reaction Time to Peripheral Stimuli?” (Wilderness & Environmental Medicine:22,148-150,2011) has recently been published by Gerhard Ruedl and colleagues from the Department of Sports Science at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
The investigators sought to determine whether or not ski helmet use affects reaction time to peripheral stimuli. They used the Compensatory-Tracking-Test (CTT) in a laboratory situation to study 10 men and 10 women during four conditions in a randomized order: Read more »
This post, Study Looks At The Effectiveness Of Ski Helmets In Preventing Head Injuries, was originally published on
Healthine.com by Paul Auerbach, M.D..
November 18th, 2011 by StevenWilkinsMPH in Opinion, Research
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Abraham Verghese, MD, Standford University
My wife has two world-class oncologists who help her manage her Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Both are excellent clinicians. Yet their skills differ in one very important way. Her radiation oncologist physically touches her a lot (in a good way of course!). There are the touches on her arm, a hand on the shoulder, hugs, and of course a thorough hands-on physician exam. Her medical oncologist not so much.
We all recognize the therapeutic value of touch. Dr. Abraham Verghese, a Stanford Physician and Professor, at the 2011 Med2.0 Conference, described the power of touch associated with the physical exam. In the following scenario he describes an interaction with a chronic fatigue patient who came to him after being seen by many other physicians: Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap*
November 18th, 2011 by KerriSparling in Expert Interviews
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The Diabetes Research Institute is one of those places that, walking through its halls, you feel inspired. (I feel the same way when I walk through the Joslin Clinic in Boston – true diabetes magic happening there.) The people there are focused solely on finding a cure for diabetes, and that’s a mission I can truly get behind. Today, the DRI’s Tom Karlya is sharing some information on the Reason to Believe campaign.
* * *
Kerri: Hi Tom! You and I have worked together in the past, and I’m very familiar with your passion for finding a cure for this disease that both your kids and I share. For those who don’t know, what is the Diabetes Research Institute and what is your role there?
Tom: Thanks Kerri, over the years it has been exciting to work alongside you to help the diabetes community.
The DRI is the largest and most comprehensive research center in the world with a multidisciplinary team of scientists passionately committed to curing diabetes in the fastest, safest and most efficient way possible. We are solely dedicated to curing diabetes by finding a biological cure – restoring natural insulin production in patients. This has been and will continue to be our singular focus until that goal is reached. And it will be reached.
Kerri: I’ve heard a lot about the Diabetes Diplomats, and I know that outreach effort has engaged an amazing group of people. Who are the Diabetes Diplomats, and what are they all about? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
November 18th, 2011 by Medgadget in News, Video
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Two computer science students from the University of Pennsylvania, Eric Berdinis and Jeff Kiske, have hacked together a very impressive tactile feedback system for the visually impaired using a Microsoft Kinect device and a number of vibration actuators. The Kinecthesia is a belt worn camera system that detects the location and depth of objects in front of the wearer using depth information detected by the Kinect sensor. This information is processed on a BeagleBoard open computer platform and then used to drive six vibration motors located to the left, center and right of the user. The video below shows a demo of the system in use and gives a quick explanation of its operation.
The students came up with the idea for the Kinecthesia when Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
